Printer, printing method, and manufacturing method for decorated object

Abstract

A printer, including a head, a light irradiation device and a controller, is provided. The controller includes: a first controller that prompts the printer to carry out a printing operation by an ejection amount v1 required of glossy-finish printing and with a standby time t1 required of glossy-finish printing; a second controller that prompts the printer to carry out the printing operation by an ejection amount v2 required of matte-finish printing and with a standby time t2 required of matte-finish printing; and a third controller that prompts the printer to carry out the printing operation by an ejection amount v3 and with a standby time t3. The ejection amount v3 is greater than the ejection amount v2 and less than or equal to the ejection amount v1. The standby time t3 is shorter than the standby time t1.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A printer, comprising:
 a head that ejects a photo-curable ink; 
 a light irradiation device that irradiates the photo-curable ink with a light; and 
 a controller, configured to control an ejection amount of the photo-curable ink and a standby time between a timing of the photo-curable ink landing on a print medium and a timing of the light being irradiated, 
 wherein the controller comprising:
 a first controller that prompts the printer to carry out a printing operation by an ejection amount v1 required of glossy-finish printing and with a standby time t1 required of glossy-finish printing; 
 a second controller that prompts the printer to carry out the printing operation by an ejection amount v2 required of matte-finish printing and with a standby time t2 required of matte-finish printing; and 
 a third controller that prompts the printer to carry out the printing operation by an ejection amount v3 and with a standby time t3, 
 
 wherein the ejection amount v3 being greater than the ejection amount v2 and less than or equal to the ejection amount v1, 
 wherein 
 in an entire of a print region of the print medium, the first controller is configured to prompt the head to eject the photo-curable ink by the ejection amount v1 set as a maximum ejection amount of the photo-curable ink from the head, and prompt the light irradiation device to start to irradiate the light after a duration of the standby time t1 long enough to flatten ink dots of the photo-curable ink that landed on the print medium, and the standby time t1 is a time that the ink dots start to merge into adjacent ink dots; 
 in a part or the entire of the print region of the print medium, the second controller is configured to prompt the head to eject the photo-curable ink by the ejection amount v2 which is approximately 60% of the maximum ejection amount, and prompt the light irradiation device to start to irradiate the light immediately after the ink dots of the photo-curable ink landed on the print medium, which is after a duration of the standby time t2 subsequent to landing of the ink dots, and the standby time t2 is shorter than the standby time t1; 
 in the entire of a print region of the print medium, the third controller is configured to prompt the head to eject the photo-curable ink by the ejection amount v3 set equal to the ejection amount v1, and prompt the light irradiation device to start to irradiate the light immediately after the ink dots of the photo-curable ink landed on the print medium, which is after a duration of the standby time t3 subsequent to landing of the ink dots, and the standby time t3 equals to the standby time t2, and the standby time t3 is shorter than the standby time t1. 
 
     
     
       2. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the third controller prompts the head to eject a colorless-transparent ink or a single color ink.